[LeeCoUKFan]

Aaron Smith
CatsIllustrated.com Staff Writer

If the vision Mark Stoops is selling for Kentucky's football program becomes a reality, the Class of 2013 will know one thing for sure.

They were the beginning. They were the foundation.

"I think it could be the class, the first class that changed UK football," freshman defensive back Jaleel Hytchye said.

[Image: http://vmedia.rivals.com/uploads/888/1428126.jpg]
Jason Hatcher said Kentucky's freshmen can "set the tone" for the program.

"I believe that this is what's going to set the tone for the next couple years here," freshman defensive end Jason Hatcher said.

"They can always say, 'I was the building block,'" defensive backs coach Bradley Dale Peveto said. "This class was the first signing class of this new era. And I think that's what their legacy can be."

It will take years for a legacy to actually emerge. But already, the players comprising the Class of 2013 feel part of something special.

The group, ranked No. 29 nationally by Rivals.com, is essentially betting on itself to create a winning program from a team that went 2-10 the year before they arrived.

To some, that was the selling point. Freshman defensive lineman Regie Meant, a three-star player who felt underrated because he had only been playing football for three years, identified going to a school trying to make a name for itself.

"A lot of other schools already had something going, they were already on that good path," Meant said. "I wanted to be part of that class that was there to help a school get there."

Others had to overcome their skepticism.

Hytchye received his first Division I offer from Kentucky under the previous coaching staff. It meant so much to him that he remembers - down to the day - when it happened, off the top of his head.

But UK wasn't among his finalists once the process really got going. He played at a tradition-rich Ohio high school program that competed for championships on a regular basis.

"Coming from there, I really questioned whether I really wanted to come (to UK)," Hytchye said. "But as soon as they hired coach Stoops, I knew this was the place."

Then he wanted to do his own part. He wanted to become a player-recruiter of sorts, adding to the class, getting other great players to join the resurgence.

"You could go somewhere else and be a good player and a great player at that university," Hytchye said. "But right here you can start a legacy, a tradition, a foundation."

Hytchye was so eager to help he started call other players, including freshman safety Marcus McWilson - who, along with Hatcher, would end up being the highest-rated prospect in the class.

"I was coming back from workouts at school, pulling in my driveway," McWilson said. "Didn't even get out of my car before the phone started ringing."

Even with a trusted friend calling, McWilson - then a Nebraska commit and one of the best players in the state of Ohio - was hesitant. UK had no tradition of winning. But with the new coaching staff's style - including a shared hometown; Stoops, like McWilson, is a Youngstown, Ohio native - and Hytchye's urging, McWilson flipped.

Others didn't require much effort.

Freshman defensive tackle Jacob Hyde was the earliest commit of the Class of 2013, pledging to be a Wildcat in January 2012, while Joker Phillips was head coach.

"I mean, it was a childhood dream of mine to play here," said Hyde, a Manchester, Ky., native. "I've always wanted to play here. Being an in-state kid, it just means more."

When Phillips was fired, Hyde thought that dream was in jeopardy.

"I was kind of frantic about it," Hyde said. "I didn't know what to think."

He started formulating backup plans in case the new coach ran him off. But within days of being hired, Stoops called to tell him his scholarship would be honored.

"I guess I was one of the lucky few that fit into what he was looking for," said Hyde, who is one of five newcomers on the roster who committed to Phillips' staff. "It was probably one of the best feelings ever."

Now, the recruitments are long over, and the process of turning a highly ranked recruiting class into a substantial product on the field begins.

"I'm excited to coach them, to be honest with you," Stoops said.

If the visions Stoops told these players while sitting on couches in their homes becomes a reality on the field, they will forever know their place in the process.

"We can look back on it after we start building this tradition," freshman wide receiver Ryan Timmons said, "and know we were the first class that started it with coach Stoops."

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